A place where we can talk on some important issues that women face as they try to get to that "simple" and "beautiful" part of being a woman. I'll be writing Sunday evenings, beginning in January. Hope to talk with you then.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Our Family's Christmas Miracle

Caren, a woman who had gone to college with our sons 20 years before,
had been waking up in the night with dreams that made her concerned for
Mr. Morris (my husband), whom she had never met. Though she hadn't been in touch with
our sons for all of these years, she sent off an email to son Jonathan:

"This is a
strange thing, but I have had two dreams about you and Joseph, asking me to pray for
your dad. I have been doing so and hope that all is well with your father (I don't
know him), but have found myself getting up with the baby at night with thoughts of your
family. Your father is especially ever-present in my heart."

A heart specialist had just recently suggested that Bob get a heart catheterization either then or in six months. Bob had decided on waiting the six months since he wasn't experiencing any symptoms. I was deeply worried about his waiting because of the strong symptoms I was noticing, but which Bob was passing off as just getting a bit older. There was no "budging" Bob on the waiting decision.

But when Fr. Jonathan
forwarded the email from Caren to Bob, and when it arrived immediately following an email from our son Joe encourageing Bob to have the heart procedure done sooner than later, he immediately called the cardiologist and made an appointment for that Friday.

"Bob, coming in for the heart catheterizationnowwas a
life-saving decision. You have a 90% blockage of the 'Widow Maker
Artery!" The Surgeon.

The surgeons placed a stent in his artery and his energy, health and
enthusiasm all came back with it!

The doctor's words emphasized for us the Miracle of Love that came
our way through the simple, but a spirit-led emails sent Bob's way.

"Thank you Joseph and Caren for paying attention

to the quiet whisperings of
God.

Thank you for my husband's life. "

I wrote this to Caren...and in return she
wrote:"Funny thing is, I can't say that I had a quiet whisper from the
Holy Spirit at all! These were the most vivid of dreams, each promptly ended by
the uncharacteristic cries of our baby; which literally forced an all night
vigil for your husband! It recurred for hours, into the morning. Even sending my
older children to school did not end the persistent thoughts of your
husband....so, I tried to contact Jon via email, and once I did that, my head
was finally cleared enough to plan for supper!"

"When
I received Fr. Jonathan's email letting me know what had happened about the life-saving surgery (I actually "forgot about" my sending that email), I broke down in tears. Knowing that Our Lord had
used a wretch like me was a two-fold answer to a very desperate prayer I had
made in mid-October: "Do you care about our lives here on earth,
Lord?" and "Please give me any kind of indication that I
am of value to You."

﻿

Whether they are quiet whisperings or vivid dreams, or the
reading of the scriptures, God wants to bring His love into the world through
wretches like you and me and Caren! He sent His Son into the World that the
world might believe in Him and be saved. There is great suffering in the world,
and heart attacks, strokes and cancer reach all of our lives very personally.
And isn't that at the heart of all of our prayers for healing.... that our loved ones live forever!

Bob's life was prolonged.

There is an appointed time
for Bob to die, for all of us to die...it will surely come .

For some reason, it wasn't Bob's time yet...

Was it for Caren's sake?

Was it because God has more work for Bob to do on this earth?

Was it because God wanted to remind all of us how our lives are so intertwined and how powerful love can be?

The mystery of miracles.

But, The Greatest Miracle Mystery took place in the Stable of Bethlehem

on the way to the Cross.

Let God's Holy Spirit fill your hearts with this amazing love

so that everyone in our homes knows that they are loved beyond measure.

And so that, even strangers,

like Caren and Bob,

might experience his healing touch and know of His presence with us this Christmas.

"Let's Double Down on Love!"

Fr.Jonathan's suggestion when he talked about something we could do in response to the killings of the young children in Conneticut.

Sharon, thanks for sharing this story, reminding us that each of us can experience urgings from God to pray or act on earthly matters, from small things to matters of life and death. This story will be a blessing to many. I will share it with friends.

Thanks be to God for teaching us all the power of prayer, love & obedience through this miracle. Caren was prompted to pray & act from 2 separate dreams. Surely she is very close to our Lord. She was hand picked by God to be His messenger. She responded!!! We all thank you Caren.

Fr. Jon and brother Joe heard Carens message and loved their father enough to exhort him to see the doctor.

Bob was obedient in calling the cardiologist and immediately having the life saving procedure. We have another Christmas Miracle.

Thanks be to God for teaching us all the power of prayer, love & obedience through this miracle. Caren was prompted to pray & act from 2 separate dreams. Surely she is very close to our Lord. She was hand picked by God to be His messenger. She responded!!! We all thank you Caren.

Fr. Jon and brother Joe heard Carens message and loved their father enough to exhort him to see the doctor.

Bob was obedient in calling the cardiologist and immediately having the life saving procedure. We have another Christmas Miracle.

Hello Sharon, your Christmas miracle was read to me, and it is both chilling and very touching. I will pray for you and your husband, and also for this gifted person who listened to the Holy Spirit. This afternoon our friend Pornchai and I watched a History Channel presentation on The Shroud of Turin in which Fr. Jonathan was interviewed. Stellar as always.

Wow! Miracles never cease do they? I'm sure that Caren will remain in your prayers for a long, long time. To think that after all those years, she sought out Fr. Jonathan and Joe to share her concerns about their father. I'm almost speechless. May our Lord bless Caren and her family, and you, Sharon, and your family. You are truly blessed. I wish you peace, good health, and much happiness in the New Year.Hugs,Charlene C. Duline

When Bob comes into your life, he leaves you with a certain something with Jesus always inside of it. He and I do not always agree with each other but like two brothers we have bonded as one in the warming heart of Jesus knowing there is something much greater than words about things.

When I had a month long series of silent heart attacks more than 12 years ago, the first thing the heart doctor told me in the emergency room was that I had only about a 33 percent chance of leaving the hospital alive. I had no heart muscle left and after abut three different heart procedures, I was told I had only about two years to live. I start putting down my thoughts online as fast as possible for the sake of my grandchildren. That was more than twelve years ago. I now have a thousands of resources and references online including The Rationale Quest at http://therationale.com where I explore the latent response of religion and philosophy to the global economic arena. There I also have a book review of Father Jonathan's Prescription for Suffering. See links to this review and more at http://tapsearch.com/amazon-friends where you can also get some books free. About twenty years ago I wrote a "healing prayer" for a close friend and you can view it at http://therationale.com/healing-prayer You can also view my new Living Healing Art at http://tapsearch.com/about-ray-tapajna I do not tell everyone I show it to but the flowing waters represent the water from the pierced side of Jesus which proclaim that the perfect sacrifice of eternity has been completed. If you read or view any of may efforts, and do not like anything, blame Bob, because he is a certain something in my heart that drives me. He reminds me of the "Second Touch" where after touching the blind man, Jesus asked the man if he could see. The man said yes but the images were distorted and so Jesus touched the man again and the the man was able to see everything as it are.

Bob carries the "Second Touch" with him everywhere he goes even when the "Dark Night of the Soul" comes his way. It looks like the Lord has many more errands for him to do. See http://therationale.com/the-second-touch-prayer

About Me

You might know me from the Bridges Out of Poverty Program in Akron, or from helping with the sewing project at the Harvest Home Residence for Homeless women and their children. I have always loved connecting with people and caring about what is important to them. I worked in Spanish Harlem in New York as a social worker after graduating from Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island, and went on to be a counselor for Catholic Charities in Cleveland for Foster Children who were going through tough times.

You might know me from teaching your children Spanish at Everest Academy in Clarkston, Michigan, or helping you with your phone bills at First Communications. Keller Williams Chervenic Real Estate Company in Fairlawn, Ohio is where you might see me these days as I enjoy selling lovely homes in this very exciting Real Estate Market. Maybe you have met me at a track meet or a basketball game for our grandchildren, or listening to my interview on Living Bread Radio or maybe you have read my newsletters.

Though originally from New York, Bob and I reside in Ohio and we have seven grown children and a wonderful group of grandkids.